NJ Transit launches independent safety review

NEWARK, N.J. - After parsing the federal response to the string of incidents at Metro-North Railroad, NJ Transit will voluntarily subject its operations to an independent safety review.

“This is a proactive step to assess whether we’re susceptible to the same kind of issues identified at Metro-North in Operation Deep Dive,” said Nancy Snyder, an NJ Transit spokeswoman. “We’ll look at everything we operate, everywhere we operate – and that includes the Port Jervis and Pascack Valley lines.”

Deep Dive is the 60-day review of Metro-North operations that the Federal Railroad Administration conducted following the Dec. 1 derailment in the Bronx that left four people dead – and spawned the fifth National Transportation Safety Board investigation of a derailment or fatality at the railroad in six months.

The unprecedented review, released March 14, concluded that Metro-North’s emphasis on on-time performance had spawned a “deficient safety culture” and ordered wide-ranging changes in policies and procedures.

But FRA and NTSB safety recommendations do not encompass Metro-North’s Port Jervis and Pascack Valley lines, because the railroad contracts with NJ Transit to operate its west-of-Hudson service.

Metro-North has still collaborated with NJ Transit to extend such recommendations as lowering speed limits on curves to the Port Jervis line. Other recommendations haven’t been applicable. For example, the Metro-North and NJ Transit trains that ply the line are already equipped with alerters that begin to apply the brakes if engineers are inactive at the controls for a brief period.

The equipment is unavailable on one-third of Metro-North’s east-of-Hudson fleet – including the train that derailed Dec. 1 – and is now being installed.

“(We) welcome NJ Transit’s all-encompassing safety review …” said Marjorie Anders, a Metro-North spokeswoman, in an email. “We look forward to interacting with (them) and with the oversight agencies to ensure that safety is paramount in the minds of employees so that customers can be confident.”

NJ Transit has hired Rail Safety Consulting to conduct the review at a cost of $467,673. Over 90 days, consultants will assess rail inspection and maintenance procedures as well as work practices and overall safety culture in the context of FRA regulations. Much of the review will take place in the field, interviewing employees and examining operations across the statewide network of 12 rail lines.

Snyder said a 17-employee committee is also being appointed to examine safety concerns in all aspects of its operations. NJ Transit already has a system that allows employees to report safety concerns anonymously.

“We want specific, actionable feedback, and we intend to take whatever corrective action is necessary to ensure the safety of our employees and customers,” said Snyder.